Modofi Bio specializes in direct DNA modification to develop therapeutics that target tumor-associated DNA repair defects. The company is based in New Haven, Connecticut, with offices and laboratories at the Elm City Bioscience Center near Yale. It raised an additional $4.3M in seed funding. Investors in this round included existing backers Connecticut Innovation, HighCape Capital, Advantage Capital (Ironwood), and the National Brain Tumor Society, plus new investors Pathway BioVentures, The Sontag Foundation, and BrightEdge (the impact investment arm of the American Cancer Society). Modofi Bio intends to use the funds to advance its lead molecules toward IND-enabling studies and phase I clinical trials. The company’s core approach is exploiting tumor-associated DNA repair defects through direct DNA modification. Modifi Biosciences develops small-molecule therapeutics that directly modify DNA to selectively target tumors with defects in DNA repair, notably loss of MGMT expression. The company’s core platform has been validated in vitro and in vivo in preclinical glioma and other cancer models, showing selective anti-tumor activity and a favorable therapeutic index. Modifi Bio’s lead approach targets cancers lacking MGMT, a defect present in substantial subsets of colon, small cell lung, and non-small cell lung cancers, suggesting broader applicability beyond brain tumors. Founders and scientific leadership include researchers from Yale, and the company is based at the Elm City Bioscience Center in New Haven. The team highlights that their molecules are structurally similar to previously FDA‑tested drugs but are designed to overcome resistance mechanisms. With recent non-dilutive funding and a completed seed round, the company is positioning its assets for IND‑enabling work and first clinical translation.

Total raised

$7M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

Oct 2023